NHS was 'effectively disarmed' in the run-up to Covid-19 says Wolverhampton MP
The NHS was "effectively disarmed" by successive Conservative governments in the decade running up to the pandemic, a frontbench Labour MP has said.
Pat McFadden, Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, said current waiting list delays highlighted how far things had "fallen" after 12 years of the Conservatives in power.
The Wolverhampton South East MP's comments came after the Government unveiled plans to help the NHS in England recover from the impact of coronavirus.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid warned the number of people waiting would continue to rise for another two years – as current waiting NHS lists continue to climb.
NHS England data showed 6.1 million people were already waiting to start treatment at the end of December last year, which is the highest since records began in 2007.
Mr Javid has pledged waits of more than two years will be eliminated by this July whilst one-year waits will be ended by March 2025 – after the next general election.
Now Mr McFadden has hit out at the Government for their handling of the NHS after the Conservatives returned to power back in 2010.
The Wolverhampton South East MP said: "The truth is that the NHS was effectively disarmed in the decade running up to the pandemic and that's a big part of the reason why we've got such staffing and waiting list problems right now.
"And just imagine, someone waiting on a hip replacement or a knee replacement in severe pain being told that they have to wait a year or possibly two years for surgery.
"When my party was in government, we had a target waiting time of 18 weeks between diagnosis and treatment. Now we're talking about years. It shows how far things have fallen after 12 years of Conservative stewardship of the NHS."
Some estimates suggest the NHS waiting list could go up at least 50 per cent or almost double before it starts to fall back again. Among those on the waiting list are people needing scans and tests, hip and knee operations, and cataract surgery.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid said people had to "come together on a new national mission" – as they did to tackle the virus – to fight what Covid-19 has "brought with it", adding: "That will mean waiting lists falling by March 2024, strong action to reduce long waiting times, and stretching targets for early diagnosis and for cancer care.
"This vital document shows how we will not just recover, but reform and make sure that the NHS is there for all of us, no matter what lies ahead."
